Roderick:?New tanker should arrive

There has been much uncertainty surrounding a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant for a new Arkport water tanker.

Bob Clark

There has been much uncertainty surrounding a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant for a new Arkport water tanker.

Who is going to pay for it? Who will it belong to? Can it be transferred to the Arkport Joint Fire District without breaking the law?

Those questions have been answered, according to village officials, and it won’t be long before the new truck is sitting in the Arkport Fire Hall.

The Arkport village board learned at Tuesday night’s meeting that the grant, filed in the village’s name, can be transferred to the Arkport Joint Fire District without complications, according to Arkport Mayor Jeff Roderick.

According to Roderick, the board has checked with the Steuben County Office of Emergency Services, FEMA and the New York Conference of Mayors, which all told the board the transfer could happen.

According to Arkport Fire Chief Dan Hulbert at the May 14 fire district meeting, the department received around $250,000 from FEMA to purchase a new water tanker truck, with the local share being 5 percent, or around $12,000.

Village officials were not sure if they could cover the $12,000 matching funds for the grant under a tight fiscal budget this year, and did not know if the truck could be transferred to the fire district.

Now, the fire district will cover the grant match, according to Roderick, and will take possession of it when it is delivered.

“The problem is, time is running out,” said village Trustee Jon Hedges, who said there is a time limit on the grant.

If the truck isn’t put up for bid soon, he added, the grant could be lost.

The matter will be formalized at Thursday night’s meeting between the village board and the Dansville and Hornellsville town boards.

The meeting should be quite busy, Roderick said, as the district needs to be formed by June 19.

The boards will swear in the fire commissioners, who were appointed at the May 14 meeting, and will discuss transferring authority to the fire district.

Choosing a treasurer for the fire district also is an issue. At the last meeting, no one had expressed interest, but Roderick said he had spoken to Sharon Ames about the position.

The Evening Tribune

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